Southwest Station Area Planning “It’s important to keep our region strong In partnership with the cities of Eden Prairie, Minnetonka, Hopkins, and St. Louis and growing, and Park, the Hennepin County Regional Railroad Authority initiated station area planning newsline for suburban stations along the Southwest LRT line. Planning will be initiated in having a 21st century fall 2009 | vol. 3 in 2010, now that a route through Minneapolis has been chosen. transportation system Station area planning builds upon the past planning work of each community and is key to achieving analyzes how transit riders will access the stations and how development those goals. A patterns could change around each station. Community members and city staff have Southwest Light Rail been working with the Hay Dobbs consulting team at visioning sessions and public meetings to create transit-supportive district design guidelines. These guidelines line is a critical part What is the Southwest LRT Project? will recommend patterns and forms of development and a mix of land use to achieve of our region’s transit The Southwest LRT is a proposed high- an active, transit-supportive, pedestrian environment around each of the 12 stations. infrastructure, and I’m “The County and our partners – frequency light rail line serving the rapidly cities, business chambers, and Below are examples of renderings of station areas as they are envisioned in the proud to be part of growing southwest area with station area plans. the collaboration of stations in Eden Prairie, Minnetonka, agency representatives - have been communities in the Hopkins, St. Louis Park, and Minneapolis. working hard since 2002 to make Southwest metro area When constructed, the Southwest LRT sure that all feasible routes have that’s been working line will connect to the Hiawatha and been studied and that our process Central Corridor LRT lines, the Northstar jointly to make this has been fair and open. With the Commuter line, and high-frequency bus selection of the Locally Preferred Alternative, the project a reality. routes in downtown Minneapolis, providing Choosing the Locally connections to the Minneapolis-St. Paul Southwest Light Rail project has taken a major step Airport, Mall of America, University of toward becoming a reality.” Preferred Alternative Minnesota, State Capitol, and downtown —Hennepin County Commissioner Gail Dorfman, was a very significant St. Paul. Chair of the Southwest Policy Advisory Committee milestone that we The Southwest LRT line will be a part of can celebrate as a a regional approach to increasing transit Key Milestones: community.” alternatives for our growing metro area, Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA) Selection and will provide an efficient way for people —Commissioner Jan Callison, On November 3rd, 2009, the Hennepin County Regional Railroad Authority acted to get to a wide range of destinations. In Member of the Southwest to recommend that the LRT 3A alternative be selected as the Locally Preferred addition, this LRT line will support growth Policy Advisory Committee Alternative (LPA) for the Southwest LRT line (see map on pages 2-3). LRT 3A was and development while also maintaining chosen because it is the alternative that best meets the Southwest LRT goals of our high quality of life. improving mobility, providing a cost-effective and efficient travel option, protecting Blake Road Station looking Northeast at Blake Road and Excelsior Boulevard the environment, preserving quality of life, and supporting economic development.

Southwest LRT Goals The LRT 3A alternative is proposed to operate from Mitchell Road in Eden Prairie through downtown Minneapolis, where it will use the existing Hiawatha LRT 1. Improve Mobility tracks. The line is expected to serve close to 30,000 trips per day and will cost 2. Cost-Effective and Efficient approximately $1.2 billion to construct in year 2015. The line is consistent with local 3. Protect the Environment and regional plans and will be part of an integrated system of rail and bus lines 4. Preserve Quality of Life providing expanded service to the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area that will move the 5. Economic Development region toward doubling transit ridership by the year 2030.  Proposed Wooddale Station Transit Plaza Hennepin © 2009 Hennepin County, All Rights Reserved • Printed on recycled paper y

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y l 169 PPlymouth PlymouthPlymouth 94 Intermodal (continued from front page) Ave. Penn Station Olson Memorial Highway Winnetka Ave. Winnetka 55 55 To support the LPA selection, the SW LRT project team has been working over the past 6 months to Royalston Twins Golden Stadium Lake Washingto develop cost estimates, ridership forecasts, an assessment of impacts/benefits to the transportation Gleason Lake Dr. Valley 100 Hiawatha & Central n 4th St. Glenwood Ave. LPA and transit systems, and an inventory of potentially affected critical environmental resources was 6th St.

Laurel Ave. conducted. The evaluation results were shared with the public at five open houses in August, and White Blvd. Van Nicollet Mall Van White Hennepin Ave 10th St. 12th St. 12 Dunwoody 8t are available at www.southwesttransitway.org. The public was invited to comment formally at public 12 394 394 Blvd. h 12 394 hearings held on September 17th and October 20th, 2009 Ridgedale Shopping Minneapolis Center Penn 35W 94

The HCRRA’s LPA recommendation will now be sent to the for their consideration Pl. Blvd. Park 494 Louisiana Ave. Locally PreferredMinnetonka Alternative (LPA) Franklin Ave. Rd. Cedar and action. Once the Metropolitan Council selects the LPA and includes it in their Transportation Policy Meadow Lake 21st St Park 35W R Plan (TPP), the project can apply to the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) for entry into Preliminary d. Park Ave. Park Blaisdell Ave. Nicollet Ave. 1st Ave. Lyndale Ave. Lyndale Engineering (PE). St. Louis Ave. France LPA Hennepin Ave. 26th St.

Cedar Lake Pwky. Lake Cedar Lake Hopkins Crossroad Park of the Isles

Plymouth Rd. Plymouth 100 28th St. Calhoun 28th St. Beach Issues To Be Addressed Midtown Greenwa Cedar Lake Rd. Club Minnetonka Blvd. West Lake Minnetonka Blvd. Lagoon Ave. Lake St. What’s Next for Southwest LRT? St. Louis Calhoun The DEIS will document significant impacts and Park Commons City 7

Minnetonka Blvd. Ave. Ottawa Hall benefits regarding: Jidana St. Louis 35W The process for developing an LRT line Park Park Louisiana Ave. Beltline Civic Wooddale Lake Nicollet Ave. Center Ave. Portland

Calhoun Ave. Lyndale • Ecosystems and natural resources including geology Park Bass Hennepin Ave. is lengthy and complicated. The public Minnetonka Blvd. Lake 35th St.

36th St. and soils, air quality, water resources, and noise and Knollwood Wooddale is encouraged to get and stay engaged Minn 169 Ave. et Mall 7 on k a Mil Excelsior Excelsior Boulevard vibration; ls Rd 38th St. in this process by visiting our website . & Grand 38th St.

M Louisiana 7 inn at www.southwesttransitway.org and e Ave. France ton • Land use, zoning, and economic development; ka 40th St. M Hopkins Rd. N. Blake LPA ills Rd Methodist attending our meetings as the project . Hospital 2nd St. NE Lindsey Ln • Demographics and socio-economic factors; 17th Ave. N

11th Ave. N. moves through the project development Excelsior Boulevard Ave. Park

5th Ave. N. process. • Displacements and relocations; Main St. Blake Central Meadowbrook 100 Park Lake

. Lake d

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• Neighborhood compatibility, community facilities and Shady 46th St. Oa

The Hennepin County Regional Railroad Oak Hopkins Rd. S. Blake dy dy

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services, and environmental justice; h S

Authority continues to partner with Ave. Xerxes Minnetonka

7th St. S. Interlachen Blvd. Interlachen Blvd. Ave. Lyndale Portland Ave. Portland the Federal Transit Administration to • Cultural resources including historical and Williston Rd. K-Tel 35W Dr. 50th St. Mirror Shady Oak Lake Nicollet Ave.

archeological resources, parkland and Section 4(f) Rd. Baker complete the Draft Environmental Lake LPA

Impact Statement (DEIS) for the resources; S. 11th Ave. 169

Smetana Rd. Vernon Ave. S. Southwest Transitway project. The • Hazardous materials; Edina Minneapolis

Blake Rd. S. DEIS will document the potential Glen Ave. France Lake Diamond • Energy use; Lake social, economic, and environmental Ave. Penn Wooddale Ave. Wooddale Opus Smetana Rd. 58th St. impacts of the alternatives and options • Construction effects; Tracy Ave. Tracy

100 Concord Ave. Vernon Ave. S. Pamela for mitigation of unavoidable adverse City Park

• Transportation including transit, roads and highways, West Baker Rd. Baker Townline Rd. Ave. Xerxes impacts. nd St. 62 railroads, and pedestrian and bicycle facilities. 62 35W 62

Birch Island Park Eden 62 Veteran’s Prairie Memorial Fairview Park Riverside Bryant Lake Hospital Proposed Southwest LRT Project Timeline Regional Park 66th St. Valley View Rd. 66th St. 212

Southdale Shopping Sh Center a d y

Golden O Richfield Alternatives Analysis Preliminary Bryant Triangle a Final Design k Galleria Lake

R 2005-2007 Engineering Eden d. Baker Rd. Baker 2013-2014 Wood Lake Ave. Portland Bent Prairie Nature Creek Center

& Final Ave. Penn Edenvale Golf Park Club 494 100 COMPLETE! Environmental LPA Locally Preferred Alternative LRT Station 35W w Rd. Ave. York Impact Braemer Trails LRT Park & Ride Station Lyndale Ave. Lyndale Draft Environmental Ave. France Construction & Park 76th St. Scale (in miles) Nicollet Ave. Statement Prairie Impact Statement Operations 169 Existing Freight Lines Hiawatha & Central LRT 77th St.0 0.1 0.2 0.25 2010-2012 LPA 5 2008-2010 2014-2017 212 5 Technology Dr. Eden Prairie 494 American Blvd. 12 5 Mitchell Southwest Town Center 5 494 CURRENT PHASE Station 82nd St. Eden Prairie Bloomington Ad